Look out Sunyshore City, Here comes Kari Jones!
by twilight girl456
Summary: Kari Jones is a young trainer who is going to live with her aunt in Sunnyshore city for awhile.When she meets Volkner and his cold attitude, she is determined to help him get rid of it...but she wasnt expecting to develop feelings for him! VolknerxOC
1. On the Way to Sunyshore City!

A/N: Ok, I've decided that this is my crappiest work I've done, and I am re-writing the first few chapters. Sorry if those that have read like it so far, but I cant stand the horrible writing that is crap! I hope you like the new and improved chapters!

* * *

1. Leaving Home/On the Way to Sunyshore City!

I sighed as I packed up my third and final suitcase, zipping it up and placing it by my bedroom door. Before I go further into what I'm doing, allow me to introduce myself. My name's Kari Jones, I'm 19 years old, and I live in the wonderful place that is known as Pallet Town, in the Kanto Region. Now, I will tell you why I am packing up suitcases. I'm leaving home to go live with my aunt Ellie in Sunyshore City, all the way in the Sinnoh region, somewhere I've never been before.

"Vee-vee!" I looked over to my side to find my Eevee staring up at me curiously. I smiled happily as I picked her up and hugged her to me. My Eevee was my very first Pokemon, and I had received it when it was just an egg. You see, my mom is a well known Pokemon breeder, and her specialty is Eevee's, and being as it is her specialty, I have every known form of the Eevee evolutions. But back to what I was saying before, me and my Eevee have been through everything together, including the Pokemon League, earning title as champion about 4 years back. After that, I started traveling around to the different regions, and competing in each Pokemon league, excluding the Sinnoh League, and Pokemon contests here and there. Last year, I decided I wanted to take a break with everything, so I've been at home since, my Pokemon running around all over the place….Of course, my mom thinks I should get back to traveling again, which is why she is sending me to live with my aunt Ellie. She thinks a change of scenery would do me some good.

"Kari, are you ready yet?" My mother asked me from downstairs.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" I replied, "Well, Eevee, let's hit the road, yeah?"

"Vee!" Eevee replied back. And so, I grabbed my suitcases, and headed downstairs.

As soon as I had gotten downstairs, my mom came over to me, giving me a big hug. "Ooohh, I'm going to miss you!"

I smiled, patting her on the back. "Y'know Ma, if you don't want me to go, all you have to do is say so."

She laughed. "Nice try sweetie, but you really need a change of atmosphere! And Ellie has been begging you to come see her forever!"

"I know, I know! Well, I guess we should hurry up and get to Vermillion City so I don't miss my boat." I stated, picking up my bags and throwing them in the car.

Soon, my mom got in and started driving me to the port city.

* * *

Sunyshore City was a beautiful city by the sea. It was also the hometown of the toughest of the eight gym leaders of Sinnoh. His name is Volkner. You'd think that being the toughest gym leader meant loads of fun for him, right? Wrong! You see, a little while ago, Volkner had become bored with battling, and now began in resorting to just giving away free badges. People became upset that he would do such a thing, and trainers that would come to Sunyshore Gym looking for a battle with him would end up leaving either angry, disappointed, or even worse, crying because he said he didn't want to battle them. Although some of the townspeople wouldn't admit it, but they were a bit disappointed in him too.

Currently, Volkner and his trusted Pokemon partner, Raichu, were checking on Sunyshore Tower to make sure everything was up and running correctly, though he highly doubted there were any problems with it, seeing as he had designed it. After giving it a thorough check through, Volkner and Raichu walked outside and down the busy streets of the city.

"What do you say we grab a bite to eat, Raichu?" Volkner asked his companion, earning a happy 'Rai' from the mouse Pokemon.

Volkner noticed a few people down at the docks, looking as if they were waiting for something. "_A ferry must be coming in later."_ He thought nothing more of it, and continued on with his walk to a restraunt.

* * *

"Look, Eevee! We're fixing to dock!" I exclaimed, pointing at the docks as we approached them so very slowly. "What do you say we make a big entrance?" I asked my companion, a smirk growing on my face.

"Vee-vee!" Eevee replied back happily, hopping onto my shoulder.

I giggled, taking a pokeball from my belt. The boat we were on was actually fairly small, seeing as it was the actual ship I had come on to the Sinnoh region was still back in the next town, and this boat was headed to Sunyshore. "Go, Lapras!"

Out of the pokeball and into the water came my Lapras, my own personal ferry. "Lap!" Lapras cried out happily as it was released from the pokeball.

I smiled happily, before jumping onto Lapras' back, earning a few shots from the boat driver. "Hey, Kid! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I smirked at him, waving as Lapras began to move towards the city. "Sorry, but I just wanna get there a little faster! Thanks for the ride!" I turned back to watch what was in front of me, "Okay, Lapras! Head for Sunyshore!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Volkner walked out of the restraunt with Raichu, and began to head back to the gym, when he heard the people that had been standing around the docks earlier begin to murmur about something.

"Did you…a Lapras straight this way?" Volkner heard part of what one woman said. A Lapras? It was extremely rare to even see a Lapras around here, and let alone at this time of day. Volkner moved over to the bridge to see this Lapras that had everyone talking amongst themselves, and sure enough, Lapras was head straight towards the city docks. He would've stayed longer to see it up close, but he remembered that Flint was coming to the gym today to talk to him about something, so he went back to making his way to the gym.

Meanwhile, a woman that was in her late 40's was running towards the docks. She had been expecting to see the person she was meeting their get off a boat, but not riding one of her Pokemon towards the docks. The woman smiled to herself, shaking her head before waving at the young girl on the Lapras. "Hey, Kari!"

Upon hearing her name being called, Kari squinted her eyes to see her aunt waving at her as she was getting closer to the docks. Kari laughed, and waved back at her aunt, "Lapras, increase your speed just a little bit please."

Lapras complied happily with his trainers order, increasing his speed just enough to make it to the docks safe and sound. Once there, Kari, jumped of Lapras with Eevee in her arms. She quickly recalled Lapras, throwing her bags onto the dock just before she did. Ellie ran over to her and hugged her.

"Of course you'd be the one to make and entrance like that!" Ellie stated, as she picked up one of Kari's suitcases, and began walking her back to her house. "Welcome to Sunyshore, Kari!"

* * *

A/N: Ok, I liked the remake a lot better than the original, and hopefully someone will review this time!


	2. Kari Meets Flint and Volkner

A/N: Seriously people! I feel so unloved by everyone if they don't review, T-T!

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, I'd be stinking rich, which I am not!

* * *

2. Kari meets Flint and Volkner

"Good lord, I cant believe how much you've grown! I mean, the last time I saw you, you were just a little girl who wanted to travel the world and become a famous trainer!" Aunt Ellie stated as we sat at the table for dinner. "I watched every battle when you were in the leagues! Oh, I never had a chance to see all your badges! Your mom said that you would bring them to show me."

I smiled, reaching down into my messenger bag and pulling four different cases out. "Here you go. Indigo League, Orange Islands League, Johto League, and Hoenn League." I named each badge case, pointing out which was which.

She grinned as she looked inside each case, admiring all eight badges in each one. "Wow! Kari, these are amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

I smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, aunt Ellie. That means a lot."

Aunt Ellie was my favorite aunt because of how much she always supported me in my goals. I loved her for it! Aunt Ellie ran a Pokemon clinic, sort of like a Pokemon center, but a bit more like a research lab too. Everyone in Sunyshore would bring their Pokemon here to be treated if they were sick, so she was a Pokemon vet basically. Her house joined to the clinic, so she never had to leave home!

"You know, Sunyshore has a Pokemon gym just down the street. I'm sure that you would like it there if you were to go inside." I sighed, knowing what she was trying to do.

"Aunt Ellie, you know that my League days have been over for a year now. I'm quite comfortable with just traveling around and stuff, not collecting badges and all that anymore. I just train my Pokemon now." She picked up my dishes and moved over to the sink, filling it with soap and water.

"I know, but I think you would be impressed with the gym leader, Volkner. He's the eighth gym leader in Sinnoh, and the toughest one at that." She explained.

I scoffed. The eighth leader in every region was always easy to beat unless you're a rookie going on your journey for the first time. In other words, if you've been a trainer for a long time, and have good battle skills like I have and do, then it was easy to win, usually depending on the type of Pokemon you're up against.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is…" I stated, petting Eevee as she slept in my lap. I'd just have to see how tough he is.

**The next day-**

Eevee and I went to the gym the following morning, but only to find that the leader was not there. So, I decided to take a walk around the town, maybe go to the beach and let my Pokemon play later on. I decided to sit in the local park and let my Pokemon out.

"All right guys, c'mon out and play!" I threw my pokeballs in the air, and out came my Espeon, Gardevoir, Ninetales, Vaporeon, and my Beautifly, who I had traded out for Lapras earlier today. Lapras was back at aunt Ellie's house, relaxing in her pool for the aquatic Pokemon.

"Espi!"

"Nine!"

"Gar!"

"Vay!"

"Beautifly!"

I smiled as the rest of my Pokemon, including Eevee, began to play with each other, making me smile as I watched. But my attention became caught on Ninetales, who came and sat down next to my feet. Ninetales and I go way back, all the way to when I first began my journey for the Indigo League back in Kanto. I have had her since she was just a Vulpix, and in one of our toughest gym battles, she evolved into Ninetales and won the badge for me.

"Ninetales, you don't wanna play with the others?" I asked, earning a quiet "Nine" from her as she laid her head in my lap, obviously asking for me to pet her. I giggled and began gently petting her head.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Flint and his Houndoom walked through the streets of Sunyshore city, just walking. Flint was trying to think of a way to get Volkner, his best friend, to get back into Battling. No matter how many times Flint brought up the subject to Volkner, he would ignore him or ask him to leave. He knew that Volkner needed to remember how fun it was battling, but how to do that was the question.

As he was walking around, he was going past the park, and his Houndoom's attention became caught on something there.

"Hmm? What is it, Houndoom?" Flint asked, staring in the direction that Houndoom was staring in. In the park, sitting on the bench, was girl with brown hair, tied up into a messy ponytail, wearing a blue tee-shirt, petting a Ninetales. Flint noticed that there were several other Pokemon there playing that were probably hers too. Flint called back his Houndoom to its pokeball and made his way over to the girl.

"Hey there!" Flint greeted, getting the girls attention, and her Ninetales, who out of instinct, growled at him, causing him to back up a little bit.

"Ninetales, no!" The girl scolded, petting the Ninetales to calm it down. "Sorry about that! She tend to get protective when we come across strangers." She apologized.

Flint grinned, making his back over to her. "Nah, it's cool! So, are you new to Sunyshore?"

"Kind of. I just moved her to live with my aunt for awhile."

"Oh." Flint studied her for a moment, getting a nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him that he'd seen this girl somewhere before. "So, where are you coming from?"

"Pallet Town, in the Kanto region." She answered, quietly telling her Ninetales to go and play with the other Pokemon.

"Wow, that's a long way from here. Why'd you come to live here if you don't mind me asking?"

"My mom said I needed a change of scenery if I wasn't gonna go back on the road and travel anymore." She explained. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Kari Jones."

A light bulb went off in Flint's head when he she said her name. "Oh, now I know where I've seen you before! You're the Indigo, Orange Islands, and Johto champ!"

"Well, you must watch a lot of TV if you've seen me before." Kari stated.

Flint laughed. "No, I've heard a lot about you from several gym leaders. You took down my uncles Arcanine in a heartbeat with your Ninetales!" Flint exclaimed, waving his hands around in the air for emphasis.

Kari giggled. "Ah, so you're Blaine's nephew. I'm surprised that you've heard so much about me from a bunch of gym leaders."

"Well, they were all warning me about a girl with an Eevee in case she ever decided to come here and enter the Sinnoh League." Flint explained to her, causing her to laugh.

"Well, when you've been training and traveling with Pokemon like I have, you sort of build up strength that no one can overpower."

That's when Flint got an idea. "Hey, have you seen the gym yet?"

Kari shook her head. "I've only seen the outside. I went over there earlier to meet the gym leader, but there didn't seem to be anyone there. Ah, which reminds me, I was just fixing to get over there!" Kari stood up in hurry, grabbing her pokeballs and calling all her Pokemon back except for her Eevee, who ran and jumped onto her shoulder. "Sorry, Flint! See ya around!" She began to run off before Flint could explain.

"Hey, how'd you know my name?" Flint called after her.

"Your uncle mentioned you once!" Was the only reply before she was out of sight.

* * *

As I stopped in front of the Sunyshore Gym doors, I panted heavily, seeing as how I ran all the way here. Once I had caught my breath, I tried pulling the doors open, but they wouldn't budge. So I tried knocking.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" I asked, knocking several more times.

"**Welcome! May I help you?" **A computerized voice asked.

I looked at Eevee, who looked at me before we both turned to look back at the door. "Um, I yes please. I'm here to see Volkner."

"**Oh. Then please, help yourself!" **A box like thing opened up revealing a whole bunch of Sunyshore gym badges.

"Uh…" I frowned at the sight. It wasn't right to take a badge without earning it in my view, but I wasn't exactly here to have a gym battle. "You mean I just have to take one?"

"**At Sunyshore Gym, we skip the battling, and give challengers a badge."** The computerized voice explained to me.

"Oh…well, I'm actually not here for a badge, I just want to see Volkner." I stated.

"**I'm afraid that is not possible."**

"Huh? What do you mean it's not possible? I wanna talk to Volkner!" I demanded, knocking on the door again. "Hey, Volkner! C'mon, I know that you're in there! I just wanna talk!" I began to knock and kick on the door.

"**Please stop! You must leave the premises at once!" **

"Not until I get to talk to Volkner!" I shouted as the voice continued to repeat the same thing over and. "Let me in!" Eevee jumped off of my shoulder and began shouting at the door too, while I kicked and kicked it.

"**You will now be escorted off the premises at once." **It repeated over and over

To mechanical thingies that looked like robot hands popped out of nowhere and picked me up, restraining me off of the ground, while Eevee stood there, growling at the things that were holding me. "Hey, let go!"

"Vee-vee! Ee-vee!" Eevee cried out as I was struggling to get free.

Without my command, Espeon popped out of her Pokeball, landing in front of me and beside Eevee, a worried look on her face.

"Urgh! Espeon, use iron tail on this thing to get me free!" I shouted, trying to pry it off of me.

"Espi-ON!" Espeon's tail began to glow as she jumped in the air, and hit the coils, letting me fall to the floor, where both of my Pokemon ran over to see if I was alright.

"Ugh…"I sat up, noticing that Espeon basically destroyed the thing, meaning that we were probably going to be in trouble.

"Y'know, you're probably the first one that's actually had a riot to get in like that." I turned and saw Flint standing a few feet away.

I stood up and brushed myself off, "Well, when I wanna get in somewhere, I expect to be let in."

He chuckled, "Well, aren't you determined? C'mon, I'll take you to Volkner."

"Wait, you know the guy?"

"Volkner and I are good buds," Flint explained, turning around and pointing at the Sunyshore Tower. "At the moment, he's there."

"You mean you knew he was there the entire time, and you didn't say anything?" I asked, a bit peeved that he hadn't said something earlier.

"You ran off before I could tell you." Oh. I should probably stop doing that then.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Wow!" I exclaimed as we stood in the glass windowed elevator, looking down at the city in wonder. It was beautiful!

"Sunyshore City generates electricity from solar panels located all over town." Flint explained to me as I stared out the window. "And everyone of them is controlled from Sunyshore Tower."

"Cool! And Volkner is responsible for all this, isn't he?" I asked, giggling at Flint's look of surprise.

"How'd you know?"

"Well, seeing as how there was that machine thing at the gym, I sort of just took a wild guess at who the technology guy was." I explained, smiling sheepishly. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open, revealing a large expanse of windows that gave you an even better view of the town. I ran out, followed by Espeon and Eevee. "Oh, wow! This is amazing!"

"Rai-rai!" I turned to see a Raichu not to far away from us, it's cheeks sparking a bit of electricity, which sort of gave me the idea that it wasn't all too friendly.

"Oh, it's a Raichu!" I exclaimed, staring at it in interest, wondering what it was going to do.

Flint stepped out of the elevator and stood in front of the mouse Pokemon. "Hey there!" Flint greeted.

The Raichu began to run at him, and I was about to yell for Flint to watch out, but instead of attacking, the Raichu jumped and latched itself onto Flint in what I would consider a hug.

Flint chuckled at the Raichu's action. "You look great, Raichu!"

"Chuu!" The Raichu said happily, causing me to smile.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess that this Raichu belongs to Volkner." I stated, causing the Raichu to look over at me, and smile with a nod that said I was correct.

"Where's your partner?" Flint asked Raichu. Just then, the doors to our right slid open, causing Raichu to turn around and smile happily at the guy that walked out. "Hey, Volkner!" Flint greeted.

Volkner was a blonde man with icy blue eyes that looked to be at least a year older or two older than me. He wore a black v-neck tee-shirt under his blue and yellow jacket and gray jeans. What? I notice stuff like that easily at first!

"Hey, Flint. Who's the kid?" Volkner greeted and, kind of insulted me, not smiling once.

Raichu jumped out of Flint's arms and walked over to stand next to me, smiling happily as it did. I bent down and patted it on the head. "First of all, let's get one thing straight: I'm not a kid.

Flint laughed nervously, "Uh, Volkner, this is Kari Jones. She just moved here to Sunyshore to live with her aunt!" Flint introduced me.

"Nice to meet you! I went to the gym so I could talk to you, but you weren't there."

He closed his eyes, moving to sit on one of the couches. "Didn't you see the badges at the gym? Just…take one of those."

"Oh, well, I didn't come for a gym battle, I just wanted to talk to you. And I don't think that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't even bother taking that badge without having a battle!" I frowned at him as he looked like he didn't care about it at all. "And the only reason I wanted to talk to you was because my aunt said that you were the toughest gym leader of the eight gyms in Sinnoh."

He looked at me for a minute with an emotionless face, just…studying me. "You're related to Dr. Mayheart, aren't you?"

I stood straight, surprised that he figured it out so easily. "Uh, yeah, that's right. She's the one who told me to check your gym out. And I would like to ask why you refuse to battle me even if I wanted a battle?"

He looked at me with a serious side glance. "I've lost interest in battling." Even though he didn't show it through that antisocial like behavior, I could tell that he was sad about something.

I sighed sadly, before turning to look at Flint. "Well, seeing as he doesn't wish to talk to me, I guess I should be going. I was planning on going to sit on the beach with my Pokemon and bask in the sun. It was nice talking to you two. C'mon Espeon and Eevee, let's go!" Eevee jumped back onto my shoulder, while Espeon walked alongside me. "Bye, Raichu!" I waved at the little electric mouse as we stepped in the elevator and went down.

* * *

"Y'know, you didn't have to blow her off like that!" Flint said angrily after Kari had left. "All she wanted to do was talk to you little!"

Volkner sighed. "Why should I talk to her? I just met her." Volkner stated, staring out at the ground below, where he could see Kari and her Espeon and Eevee walking out of the tower. The brunette slightly piqued his interest. She had wanted to talk to him instead of ask for a battle, but why?

"Well, maybe you should've talked to her because she might sue you now! Your stupid machine at the gym tried to throw off the premises when she only knocked on the door!" Flint decided it was best not to mention that it was Kari who had broken the security thing, knowing that Volkner would end up making her pay for it. When Volkner didn't even acknowledge that he cared, Flint sighed and left, leaving Volkner alone in the tower.

* * *

A/N: Hee-hee, I liked writing this chapter! I think that rewriting this story was the best idea I had! Hope everyone enjoyed it enough to leave a review!


	3. Kari VS Flint!

3. Kari V.S. Flint!

**A Week Later-**

After that day I met Volkner, I immediately put him as number one on my jerk list. Aunt Ellie had asked me why I was so mad, and when I told her, she said that I'd just have to wait for Volkner to warm up to me. Ha! The guy clearly hates interacting with people, let alone those he doesn't even wanna battle. The big question was why he was no longer interested in battling?

I sighed as I walked down the streets of Sunyshore City with Eevee perched on my shoulder. I had decided that even though Volkner was a jerk, I was gonna make sure that he would change his mind about battling…once I figured up a plan. Which is why I decided I should try out the gym. If I get the chance to actually talk to him, maybe I could figure out a plan.

I walked into the gym with ease, seeing as how Espeon had basically destroyed the security system last time. Inside, I found not only Volkner, but another familiar face too.

"Volkner, if you don't stop this nonsense about just giving people the Beacon Badge, someone is eventually going to take it up with the Elite Four, and they're gonna kick you out of here and find a replacement!" Flint yelled, glaring at Volkner.

"Whatever…not like I care anyway." Volkner replied.

Flint grabbed Volkner, and raised a fist to punch him, so I took this as my cue to intervene. "Stop it!" I shouted running over and pulling them away from each other. "There's no need to get violent!"

Flint sighed. "Sorry."

"Hmph, you should be." Volkner retorted, and that time, I lost it. I slapped him as hard as I could, leaving a big handprint on his cheek. No one said anything.

I broke the silence. "You should listen to what he's saying, Volkner. If you don't let the trainers earn their badges, then what's the point of having gyms? I know that it really isn't my place to say this, but quit moping and grow up."

"I have an idea!" Flint spoke before Volkner could. "Why don't you and I have a battle, Kari! Maybe if we show Volkner here what's it's like, he'll feel like battling!"

It was actually a great idea that I figured would work if executed properly. So, I agreed with it.

* * *

Kari stood on one end of the field while Flint stood on the other. Volkner had taken a seat in the bleachers with Raichu, and Ellie had come, along with the Proprietor, and both were sitting in the bleachers with Volkner, along with Kari's Ninetales, who was under the orders to make sure that Volkner didn't go anywhere during the battle.

The robotic referee came out with a green and red flag. "Three Pokemon each. The match will be over when all three of either sides Pokemon are unable to battle! Begin!"

Flint smirked, pulling out a pokeball. "Alright, Infernape, go!" Out of the pokeball came Flint's Infernape, ready for battle and all.

'_Infernape, huh? Well, I guess my best choice would be Vaporeon, but that Infernape has been raised and trained well, so I should probably send out a Pokemon that would be least expected and use my best bet last.' _"Alright, Espeon, I choose you!"

"Espi!" Espeon cried out as she was freed from her pokeball.

"Espeon, huh?" _She's smart. I thought that she would send out Vaporeon first… _"Alright, Infernape, Mach Punch!"

Infernape's hand began to glow as it ran towards Espeon. Kari smirked, "Espeon, in the air!" Espeon did as Kari said, and jumped up into the air above Infernape. "Alright, now! Use Swift!"

"Espi-ON!" Stars came out of Espeon's mouth and hit Infernape head on, knocking it down, but not completely knocking it out. Espeon landed with ease, watching Infernape with caution.

"Infernape, you ok?" Flint asked as his Pokemon struggled as it stood up. "Alright then, Infernape, Close Combat!"

"Espeon, dodge it, quick!" Kari ordered, but before Espeon could jump out of the way, she was knocked into the air, and Infernape landed multiple blows before throwing her back to the ground. "Espeon, no!"

Espeon laid there, fainted. "Espeon is unable to battle. Infernape is the winner." The robotic referee said as Kari returned Espeon back to her pokeball.

"Thank you, Espeon. Take a good rest now." She clipped the pokeball back to her belt and grabbed another one. "Your Infernape is exceptionally good, but is it good enough against my next pick? Go, Gardevoir!"

"Gardevoir…" Gardevoir murmured as she was released from her pokeball.

"Does she really think that she can beat Flint with a Psychic type?" Volkner asked aloud, gaining Ellie's attention.

"Just watch. That Gardevoir of Kari's is quite extraordinary when it comes to battling." Ellie stated, smiling.

"Infernape, Mach Punch!"

"Gardevoir, stop Infernape by using Psychic!"

Infernape was lifted into the air, and thrown into the wall, creating dust. Once it had cleared, Infernape was down and out for the count. "Flint's Infernape is unable to battle! The winner is Kari and her Gardevoir."

"She took out Infernape like it was a piece of cake." The Proprietor stated, amazed at how strong Gardevoir was.

Ellie smirked. "She's raised her Gardevoir since it was a Ralts. It's no surprise that it would be so strong."

Volkner was shocked. _'No one has been able to beat Flint's Infernape that easily ever before…. But her Espeon did some damage earlier, so she just got lucky…'_

"Thanks, Infernape. Take a nice and long rest." Flint said, smiling at the pokeball that held Infernape before clipping it back to his belt and picking out his next Pokemon. "Your Gardevoir is really strong! But can is it strong enough to handle my next Pokemon? Go, Rapidash!" Out of the pokeball came the flaming horse, neighing as it was released from its pokeball. "Rapidash, Flare Blitz!"

"Quick, Gardevoir, use confusion!" Kari ordered. But before Gardevoir could do as she was told, Flint's Rapidash rammed into her and knocked her out. "Gardevoir!"

"Gardevoir…" Gardevoir mumbled as she laid on the ground.

"Kari's Gardevoir is unable to battle. The winner is Flint's Rapidash."

Volkner stood up, earning the attention of Ellie and the Proprietor. "What is it, Volkner?" Ellie asked.

"I've seen enough. Everyone is always confident at first, but in the end, they always lose."

"I wouldn't leave just yet if I were you. Her spark is just like yours was back then." The Proprietor said. "Just wait and see what happens."

Volkner sighed, sitting back down and watching the battlefield once more.

"Thanks, Gardevoir. You did your best, so take a nice nap." Kari said, clipping the pokeball back onto her belt. _'I've only knocked out one of his Pokemon, while he's knocked out two of mine. I know I said that I'd save my best bet for last, but is that the best idea now? Flint's Pokemon are strong, and probably stronger than mine. It doesn't matter if I win or lose, but just to get Volkner back into battling again. Flint probably knows that I plan to use Vaporeon last, so he'll probably know what moves to use against me.' _"Hm…."

"Vee!" Kari looked down to see Eevee looking at her with determination, which meant _'I wanna go out and show them what I've got!' _Kari smiled, knowing that if she sent Eevee out, that they had a good chance of winning, seeing as how Eevee wasn't like any other Eevee's.

"Alright, Eevee! You ready for this!" Kari asked, earning a determined and ready 'Vee!'.

"Eevee, huh? Well, they did warn me about you and your Eevee!" Flint said, laughing a bit.

Kari smirked. "No wonder, since me and Eevee here kicked their butts! Eevee, use quick attack!"

Eevee darted left and right as it headed for Rapidash, hitting it head on, but not doing any damage at all. Eevee jumped back, frowning.

"Wow! Eevee's been raised well." Flint complimented. "Rapidash, Flare Blitz!"

Kari smirked. "Eevee, go underground!"

Eevee jumped into the ground and dug around, staying right under Rapidash until told to do the next command. Volkner watched in interest, more than before. Kari was actually quite the battler, along with her Pokemon.

"And she says she's retired." Ellie chuckled.

Volkner looked at Ellie in curiosity. "Retired?"

Ellie looked at Kari thoughtfully. "When Kari turned twelve, she and her Eevee left home so she could earn badges for the Indigo League. She actually got all the required badges, and entered the league. She won." Ellie stopped, remembering how Kari had called her to tell her the news. "After she won, she traveled to different regions and competed in each of those regions Pokemon Leagues. She became champion of the Indigo League, then the Orange Island League, and finally, the Johto League. Then, she went to the Hoenn region to compete in the Hoenn League." Ellie stopped and smiled sadly.

"It was the final round that determined who the champion was. Kari was using Eevee, and they were up against a boy and his Swampert. Because Kari had had Eevee for so long and had trained it so well, they weakened the boys Swampert easily and quickly. But," Ellie stopped to look at Kari, "Eevee got hit with a surprise attack, and got beaten up pretty badly. But Eevee didn't quit. It kept standing back up, until it just got hurt so badly it couldn't move forward. The Swampert was about to hit Eevee again, but Kari….Kari couldn't stand to see anymore, so she ran out onto the field took the hit instead."

"You mean Swampert hit her instead?" Volkner asked, listening to every word intently.

Ellie nodded sadly. "Kari didn't get hurt too badly. Just ended up with a few bruises…But because she ran out onto the field like that, she was disqualified. It was the first time she had ever lost. She really didn't show that she cared at first, but after she left Hoenn and went home to Kanto, she said she was finished with competing in the Leagues."

Volkner looked back down at Kari. _'She let herself get disqualified just so she could save Eevee.'_

"Alright, Eevee use dig and follow it by shadow ball!" Kari ordered, watching as Eevee came up from under Rapidash, and shot a black ball at it knocking it into the air.

"Rapidash!" Flint exclaimed as Rapidash hit the ground with a thud, fainted.

"Rapidash is unable to battle. The winner is Kari and her Eevee!"

Kari laughed. "Alright! Yeah! Ha-ha!" Eevee ran over to her trainer, who lifted her up and spun her around. "We did it Eevee!"

"Vee-vee!" Eevee exclaimed happily.

Flint returned Rapidash to it's pokeball. "It's not over just yet, Kari! Go! Magmortar!"

Kari set Eevee down, unclipping a pokeball from her belt. _'Finally, something that my best bet can most definitely can take down and win this!' _"Alright, I'm switching out! GO, VAPOREON!"

"Vay!"

"She saved her best bet for last." Ellie stated, smirking.

"Volkner, are you remembering anything?" The proprietor asked.

'_She's determined. More determined than anyone I've ever seen or met.' _"Hm."

"Magmortar, use Fire Blast!" Flint ordered.

Kari smirked, "Vaporeon, knock it back with Hydro Pump!" _'Fire and water hit together like that creates steam, something that I can use to my advantage.' _

Vaporeon hit the Fire Blast with Hydro Pump, enshrouding the entire battle field in steam.

Volkner gasped. _'She knew that would happen, so she could use it to her advantage.'_

"Uh, Magmortar, can you see?" Flint asked, trying to find his Pokemon through the steam himself.

"Mortar!" Magmortar replied, not really able to see anything at all.

"Alright, Vaporeon, now!" Vaporeon Jumped into the air, above the steam cloud, "Use Hydro Cannon!"

"Vay-pore-ONNNNN!" Vaporeon shot out a powerful blast of water, hitting Magmortar head on, and creating more steam, and collecting dust as Magmortar hit the ground.

As the steam cleared, Kari expected to find Magmortar laying on the ground, fainted, but instead, Magmortar was standing, weakened by the attack. Flint shot out his next command. "Thunder Punch!"

"Vaporeon, dodge it!" But it was too late. Magmortar hit Vaporeon head on, knocking it over towards the wall. Kari gasped, running after it. "Vaporeon, no!" Volkner gasped as he saw Kari catch her Vaporeon and hit the wall instead. "Ugh, Vaporeon, you okay?" Kari asked, looking down at her aquatic Pokemon.

Vaporeon smiled weakly, "Vaporeon…"

"Vaporeon is unable to battle. And the victory goes to Flint and his Magmortar!"

0*0*0*0*0*0*

I returned Vaporeon to her pokeball, and stood up, picking up Eevee along the way. Ninetales ran down from the bleachers, and stood next to me. My entire body hurt from the impact of hitting the wall like that, so I made a mental note not to do that again. "Thanks for the great battle, Flint. I need to go to the Pokemon center, so I'll see you all later." I said, waving at aunt Ellie and the Proprietor, along with Volkner and Raichu. I weakly walked towards the gym doors, walking out as they slid open, and leaving everyone behind.

I don't know whether Volkner was somehow affected by the battle, but in all honesty, I don't think he was exactly. But even if he wasn't, that wasn't gonna stop me from getting rid of his cold attitude.

* * *

A/N: I didn't really feel all that great about how the middle part of the chapter went. Actually, I rewrote this chapter at least 10 times, my ideas for a better chapter plot changing every time. Well, hope you enjoyed it anyway!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ok, I think I know where I am going with this story now, so hopefully I can avoid making it crappy! I would like to thank PlatinaBirds for being the first one to review! You rock! Ok, so off to the story!

* * *

I walked into the Pokemon center and to the front desk, smiling at Nurse Joy. "Hello, welcome to the Sunyshore Pokemon center! How may I help you?"

"I need to heal my Pokemon." I explained.

She smiled, picking up a tray for me to place my pokeballs on and Eevee. "It'll take awhile until they're healed up, so if you'd like you can come back later to pick them up."

"Ok, I'll be back in the hour." I said, turning around and walking out of the center. My entire body was still hurting from when I hit the wall, so I walked pretty slowly.

Now, mind you what I did next was not actually my idea. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was walking, so when I bumped into a guy around my age, maybe a year or two older, you cant really say it was my fault. I mean, the guy was just standing there!

"Hey, watch where you're-oh!" When he saw who it was that bumped into him, the glare on his face disappeared and was replaced with a smile that read 'Perverted dude, run away as fast as you can!'

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you." I apologized, trying to move away, only to have my arm grabbed and pulled back.

"No, it was totally my fault. You know, I'd like to get to know you better." He said leaning in real close to my face. I nearly gagged when I smelt the alcohol on his breath, and that totally screamed 'DANGER!' "How about I buy you a drink?"

I freed my arm from his grip, giving him a fake smile. "Thanks, but no thanks! I have somewhere else to be, plus I don't drink." I began to walk away again, only to be grabbed by him again, and much more roughly this time.

"Aw, c'mon baby! I just wanna talk and get to know you better!" His grip tightened, causing me to mentally wince.

"I said no!" I shouted, kicking him in the shin, causing him let my arm go. I darted off as fast as I could, running around the corner and into an alley. I heard more than one pair of footsteps behind me, so I knew that he had brought some friends. I stopped running when I reached a dead end. I turned around to find that there were about three other guys with him, all smirking at me when they noticed I was boxed in. I had no way out and no Pokemon. I felt sick.

I was a total goner….

"RAICHU, USE THUNDERBOLT!"

"Rai-CHHHUUUU!"

* * *

Kari watched in shock as the men were hit by a powerful thunderbolt, singing them a bit before they dashed off and left Kari. She stayed still for a minute until Raichu came running towards her, jumping into her arms.

"Raichu? Was that you who saved me?" Kari asked, looking at the mouse Pokemon.

"Rai-rai, Rai-Raichu!" translation: _Yeah, with Volkner's help!_

Volkner walked into Kari's line of vision, surprising her. "Volkner? What are you guys doing here?"

Raichu jumped out of Kari's arms and over to Volkner. "Saw those guys running after you, so I thought I'd help." Volkner explained as Raichu jumped up into his arms. "You know, you should always have your Pokemon with you when you're wandering around like that."

Kari frowned, _'Still number one on my jerk list,' _"Well, that wasn't supposed to happen." She stated, crossing her arms across her chest in frustration. "And I could've taken care of it…if it had just been one guy."

Volkner smirked at her comment. "Sure you could've…" He replied sarcastically.

"I didn't ask you for an opinion." Kari growled, moving forward and walking past him.

Raichu jumped out of his arms and followed after Kari, while Volkner followed after Raichu. "Maybe I should walk you back to the Pokemon center, since you cant seem to go anywhere without causing problems."

'_Why that cocky, little-' _"Geez, thank you for your kindness, sir!" Kari said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

They walked into the Pokemon center, and Kari ran to the desk, asking nurse Joy if her Pokemon were healed yet. Nurse Joy left for a minute and came back with a tray that held five pokeballs and Kari's Eevee, who immediately jumped and perched herself on her trainer's shoulder while Kari clipped each pokeball back onto her belt. Kari thanked Nurse Joy before exiting the Pokemon Center, Volkner and Raichu right behind her.

When Kari noticed that Volkner was sill following her, she sighed in annoyance, beginning to realize that he wasn't leaving, so she decided to make small talk. "So, Flint told me that you built all the Solar Panels and Sunnyshore Tower. That's pretty big accomplishment."

He began to walk alongside her. "Hm, I guess….That battle today between you and Flint…" Volkner began, earning Kari's attention, "It reminded me of how fun battling was."

Kari's eyes brightened up. "Really? So, does that mean you'll start accepting trainer's challenges?"

"Yeah, it does, and you have a job at my gym now." Volkner stated, smirking. "Seeing as how you damaged my security system, the money that it cost to build it will come out of your paycheck."

"WHAT! I didn't even agree to this!" Kari exclaimed, glaring at him.

Volkner smirked at her outburst. "Maybe you didn't, but Ellie did. She said that it was a good enough punishment. You start first thing tomorrow."

"What exactly is this job I have to do?" Kari asked, annoyed.

"Help me out around the gym, run errands for me around town. Easy stuff." Volkner explained.

Kari sighed. "And I thought I was here on vacation, not to get a job."

Volkner chuckled at the statement. Kari stopped and Volkner realized that they were in front of her house.

"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for helping me back there, Volkner." Kari began to walk towards the door, only to stop. "Oh, and sorry about slapping you!" She ran inside after waving, leaving Volkner.

'_She's gonna be loads of fun to mess with…'_

* * *

A/N: Yay! Two chapters done in one day! Volkner shall become nicer….I think! Anyway, thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	5. First Day On The Job!

A/N: I love this story! Yeah, well, I'm sorry if this chapter was pretty boring. I was having a blank spot in my mind while I was writing this chapter. Well, go along and read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, then you would know it by now!

* * *

5. My first day on the job!

I nearly fell for the tenth time as I ran inside Sunyshore Gym, an hour and a half late on my first day. I was supposed to be here by 9, and it was already 10:30! Once I ran out onto the battlefield, I tripped over my own feet and fell right on my face, my coffee flying out of my hand and onto the ground, making me nearly cry when I saw it spill out onto the floor. But that feeling was pushed away when I saw a pair of familiar pair of gray shoes enter my line of vision. I looked up to see Volkner not glaring at me, but holding a hand out for me to help me up. Sitting up, I took it and allowed him to pull me up.

"You're late." He stated, patting Eevee on the head.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry!" I apologized, moving over to pick up what was left of my coffee. The only thing I had left was my cup, while the ground soaked up my java chip frappuccino. I hope that it was enjoying it as much as I wanted to. "So, what do I have to do first?"

"I need you to go to the tower with me so I can make sure everything is running smoothly. After that…well, we'll just wait and see if any challengers come in today. If some do, then I want you to test them. If you beat them, they should come back later once they've trained a little more. I want them to be able to show me that they can beat me by beating you first."

-_- "If they beat me first, then what's the point of having them go and beat you next? If I did some damage to their Pokemon in battle, they'd have to wait until the next day to battle you. And you're the gym leader, not me." And to think I thought that I had gotten through to him…

"Well, think of yourself as their test. You're just as strong as me, so if they can beat you, then can make a good challenge for me." Volkner said as we walked out of the gym.

"Oh, so basically, if they pass the test, then they come back to take their final the next day!" I was beginning to understand what he was saying, though I still don't like the idea of having to fight the trainers first.

"Right. I'll just be doing this for a while, so don't think you'll have to be expected to battle every trainer that comes in." Well, that made me feel a little better.

"Ok…" I mumbled, looking at everything as we walked past stores and such. "Hey, um, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"How long did it take you to build all the solar panels and Sunyshore Tower?"

I saw him smile as he seemed to remember. "Not too long. I think about a year for the tower and just a few months for all the panels."

In other words, it didn't seem to take that long in my view. It was actually quite interesting that a guy such as Volkner was able to do all this. I had told my mom about the panels and the tower, and she said that it had probably take years to build. Now, I could tell her that she was wrong.

"Why did you come to live with Ellie, Kari?" Volkner's question brought me out of my thoughts.

"Well, my mom said I needed a 'change of scenery', so she figured that I should come and live with my aunt who I hardly ever see." I explained.

"You must've been excited to come and live with her then." Volkner commented as we walked into the tower. He pressed the 'up' arrow, and we waited.

"Actually, you're wrong," I said, hugging Eevee to me. "I begged my mom to let me stay back in Kanto, but she wouldn't let me. I mean, I love aunt Ellie, and I wanted to see her, but I had just gotten used to being back home after five years of traveling around. When you're gone for that long, you tend to miss home and your family, y'know?" I looked at him to see if he caught my drift.

He nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah. So, what was it like traveling around to all the different regions?"

"What is this, 20 questions?" I teased, "Well, it was lots of fun! Meeting new people and Pokemon, making new friends and stuff, along with rivals on the way. It's interesting." I smiled, looking down at Eevee to find that she was smiling too. "Isn't that right, Eevee?"

"Vee!"

**Meanwhile, somewhere else-**

When he had ordered grunts to be stationed all over the region, he hadn't expected them to take this long to finding what he had asked them to search for. He was beginning to grow impatient.

"Saturn, has our anyone reported in with anything?"

"Nothing yet, sir."

Cyrus frowned. "Well, how about our search for the lake Pokemon?"

Saturn nodded his head, grabbing a file of info. "Not all that successful exactly. We've had grunts go all around and investigate the three lakes, but we haven't found a single clue where the three Pokemon are exactly located in the lakes. It's as if they know what our plans are for them and have gone into hiding."

Cyrus smirked at the statement. "Well, keep searching. Have no one stop until we find something!"

Saturn nodded his head. "Yes sir!"

* * *

Kari sat on the floor, listening to her iPod as she watched Volkner work, Eevee sitting in her lap. They had been sitting up in the tower for almost four hours, and Volkner had been checking on everything, now currently fixing several lose wires that were only supposed to take minutes to fix, but now ended up taking up more than that, seeing as Volkner not only thought that those loose wires needed fixing, but so did the others. Not only was she bored to death, but she was starving too. Her stomach had been growling for the past three hours they had been up there, and when she asked Volkner is she could just go and grab something to eat and come right back, he said no.

Finally, Volkner stood up, and sealed the opening that he had opened to fix the wires. He turned to Kari, who had her eyes closed as she listened to her music. Volkner walked over to her and bent down, pulling the headphones out from her ears, causing her eyes to shoot open from the sudden lack of music. When she saw that Volkner was standing above her with her headphones in his hands, she frowned at him.

"You could've just tapped my shoulder or something instead of rudely grabbing my headphones." She huffed, standing up and grabbing her headphones back, turning her iPod off and putting it in her bag, along with her headphones.

Volkner ignored her comment. "Are you still hungry?"

Kari's stomach growled loudly in response. "What do you think?"

Volkner chuckled. "I take that as a yes. I know just the place to eat at."

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Kari set out a bowl of Pokemon food for Eevee before she dug into her spaghetti Volkner had bought her. She immediately dug in, and she acted as if she hadn't eaten in days, when she had only skipped breakfast since she had been late to work this morning.

"You're not gonna eat anything?" Kari asked as soon as she had swallowed, gesturing to the empty space in front of Volkner. He shook his head, and Kari shrugged her shoulders, finishing the rest of her pasta. She pulled out another bowl and filled it with more Pokemon food, pushing it over to Raichu, who happily dug in. "Rai-Rai!"

Kari giggled, patting Raichu on the head. "You're welcome! So, what're we doing after this?"

"Back to the gym and see if there are any challengers, and if not…Well, I guess that means you can go home." Volkner replied, continuing to stare out the window. He turned to look at his Raichu, who had emptied the bowl that Kari had let him use. Kari took back the bowl and placed it back in her bag, standing up in the process.

"Well, let's go!" Kari exclaimed, grabbing the blondes arm and pulling him up, dragging him out the door and towards the gym.

When they got there, the gym was empty, adding to Kari's happiness, and Volkner's disappointment. Kari said her goodbye, and left Volkner. After she had gone, Volkner let his thoughts drift to the brunette. She was…different then most girls, and that's something Volkner liked about her. She was confident that she could do things that most people didn't think one could accomplish, plus she had this great spark of determination that Volkner thought was just amazing.

"And she's pretty cute…." _'Cute? Where'd that thought come from?'_ Volkner shook his head, leaving to go find something to occupy him for the rest of the day.

* * *

A/N: Oh god, I hated how I ended this chapter. It was…crappy T-T! Anyhoo, yes Team Galactic will be in this, and they will be wreaking havoc like they do in the show and game! Well, I hope someone enjoyed it! LATER TATERS!


	6. Azelf meets Kari!

**A/N: Yay, the sixth chapter! First off, thanks so much to PlatinaBirds for the review and cookie! You totally rock! So, you asked for a quick update, and here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

I sighed as Eevee and I sat in the grass, staring out at Lake Valor. Ever since I had left the gym, I've been sitting out here, doing nothing but sitting. And something wasn't….right. Normally, when you come to a lake like this, you usually see lots of Pokemon around. But….there aren't any Pokemon around at all. I haven't seen any since I got here, which was about 2 hours ago. It was like nothing lived here.

"Vee-vee?" I looked down to see Eevee staring around, as if she heard someone or something.

"Hmm? What is it, Eevee?" I asked, picking up my little companion, standing up to look around the area. I heard something rustle to my right, causing me to turn sharply to look in that direction. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Nothing. No one answered, so I figured that it must've just been the wind. That is…until a sudden gust of wind flew past me, almost knocking me into the lake, and successfully soaking me and Eevee as water came flying at us.

"Vee-vee!" Eevee jumped out of my arms and got into a defensive stance. I stared out at the water, watching to see if whatever it was that had just flew past us was going to try it again. Except, it remained still, and I could make out the invisible outline of a Pokemon before it was gone again, leaving me and Eevee confused and dripping wet.

"What was that?" I exclaimed, looking around at the lake nervously.

"_It was me!" _A cheerful and playful voice replied.

I glanced around nervously, scanning for the person who had spoken. "Who's there?"

The voice giggled. _"I told you, it's me!" _

"And who is 'me' exactly?" I asked, still searching for whoever I was talking to.

Out of nowhere, a Pokemon popped up in front of my face, wearing a cheerful smile. _"Me, Azelf!"_

It took me a moment to register what was going on, and when I did, my eyes widened. "Azelf? You mean you're the Azelf! The legendary lake Pokemon of the Sinnoh region!" Azelf nodded his head, and before I could process anymore words, I fainted.

* * *

"Vee-vee!" Eevee exclaimed, nudging her trainers arm as Kari laid there in the grass.

Azelf levitated above her, staring at her with a confused expression. "_I didn't think she would faint….all I did was tell her my name…"_

Kari began to stir, her eyes opening slowly, finding Azelf floating above her. "Guess it wasn't a dream after all," Kari mumbled, sitting up straight. "I'm sorry I acted like that, but it kind of happens when you come face to face with a legendary Pokemon….well, for me that is." Kari explained, giving a smile to Azelf.

"_What's your name?" _Azelf asked, floating down in front of Kari's face, looking at her with curiosity.

Kari smiled, "My name's Kari, and this is my partner, Eevee." Kari gestured over to Eevee.

Azelf smiled, before floating all around Kari, repeating her name over and over, causing Kari to giggle at the action. After Azelf had finished floating all around Kari, he plopped himself onto her head. _"Kari…I like you a lot! You're very nice!" _

Kari grinned. "Thank you, Azelf." Azelf floated down and into Kari's lap, looking up at her with a happy smile on his face. Kari had heard about the legendary lake Pokemon from Ellie, hearing that no one had actually ever seen the Pokemon before, let alone, up this close. Azelf was one of the three legendary lake Pokemon in Sinnoh, leaving two others, Mesprit, legendary Pokemon believed to live in lake Verity, and Uxie, legendary lake Pokemon believed to live in lake Acuity. Hearing that the three never came in contact with humans, Azelf approaching her confused her and also worried her a bit. If Azelf could trust her with letting her see him, then he could just as well trust someone else, and even Kari knew that not everyone is just as nice and friendly as she is.

"Azelf, how come you aren't hiding from me?" Kari blurted out, surprising herself.

Azelf only grinned at Kari. _"Because, I trust you!" _

_He trusts me? But…why? _"Why?" Kari asked, frowning in confusion.

Azelf giggled at her questions. _"You're a kind person. I can feel your great determination, showing how you feel about things. I know you wont hurt me. Besides, we're friends now!" _

"Friends? But…we just met and you hardly know me!" Kari exclaimed.

"_I already know what I need to, and I like you! I want us to be friends, like other people and Pokemon!" _

'_He just wants a friend…a friendship like a trainer has with a Pokemon….' _Kari smiled at Azelf, patting him on the head. "Yeah. I'd like us to be friends too."

"_WHEE! Friends!"_ Azelf laughed, floating all around Kari. _"Kari and Eevee are my new friends!" _

Kari giggled and Eevee smiled, saying her name over and over as she watched Azelf fly all around the place. Azelf flew back to Kari, landing on her head and causing both of them to laugh happily.

Little did either of them know was that there was a hidden camera strapped to a tree, recording all of them, and sending it back to Cyrus's HQ.

* * *

Mars and Jupiter watched in utter shock as they saw Azelf interacting with the girl and her Eevee. The first one to speak was Mars.

"HOW IS THIS HAPPENING? WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE'S TO SEE THE POKEMON, NOT THAT LITTLE BRAT!"

Cyrus ignored her ranting. "Hm…Jupiter, find out everything you can on that girl and report the information back to me. She may be useful for our plan."

'_Extremely useful….' _

* * *

I had decided to not speak of my encounter with Azelf to anyone, in fears of it getting around. I didn't want to scare off the little guy after we had just became friends after all! I had explained when I would visit and what would happen if I didn't. Azelf was a bit disappointed when I told him I had to work everyday at the gym, and my hours were kinda crazy, seeing as how Volkner had let me go early today. I also told Azelf not to come out to anyone else but me, that way no one could say they saw him. It wasn't like I was trying to keep Azelf to myself, but I was just taking precautions to keep him safe from poachers and trainers that wished to catch him.

Maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew if I was dealing with something like this.

* * *

A/N: Sorry that it was short and boring, but Azelf is actually an important part of the story, and dont worry, Volkner will be in the next chapter, i swear! So, leave a review! LATER TATERS!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Ok, so not much to say in this note, so go on ahead and read the newest chapter!**

**

* * *

**

**Several weeks later-**

Kari walked into the gym, Eevee perched on her shoulder like always. Volkner was out on the field, practicing with his Luxray, while Flint sat in the bleachers watching. Flint noticed her right away, waving her over with a cheesy grin on his face. Kari walked over, plopping down next to Flint. "How long has he been at it?"

Flint shrugged. "I just got here about 10 minutes ago, and he was going at it when I came in. I don't think he even knows were in here and watching." Flint stated.

Kari's face scrunched up. "You make us sound like stalkers…Speaking of you being here, why are you here?"

Flint put a hand to his chest, giving Kari a fake sad face. "Well, I'm hurt by your words!" Kari rolled her eyes at the comment, making him laugh. "I came to say bye to you guys."

Kari frowned. "Bye? Where are you going?"

"I need to get in some training while I'm away from the Pokemon League, so I'm going up to Snowpoint City to practice. I'll only be gone for 4 weeks tops." Flint explained.

"You cant leave me here with Volkner! I'll die if someone doesn't knock any sense into that boy! What if he goes all antisocial emo jerk on me while you're gone?" Kari exclaimed, waving her arms around to emphasize her point, causing Flint to laugh.

"You've been able to live with coming in here everyday and hanging around him for the past three weeks, and now you think that you'll die trying to deal with him while I'm gone? You sure that your just upset that I wont be around to beat some sense into him, or that it's not something else that's bothering you?" Flint asked, changing his smile to a face of concern.

Kari looked to the ground sadly. "Even though he's been back into the battling spirit for several weeks, not once have we gotten a challenger. What if…what if he goes into that depressed slump again while you're gone? I don't know how to fix it, you do. You were the one that fixed the problem in the first place…."

Flint looked at her, shocked by her statement. "Kari, I wasn't the one that helped him out of that slump, you were!"

Kari looked away from the ground and at Flint, "I was?" She looked towards the training field at Volkner. "But…I didn't do anything."

Flint laughed. "Sure you did! You battled me!"

"But I lost that battle, remember?"

"I know, but you almost won! It was that spark that you and your Pokemon let off that got to Volkner and knocked some sense into him. You inspired him to get back into battling, Kari. And if he goes into that zoned out mode, just knock some sense into him yourself!"

She was about to say something else, but Volkner had realized they were sitting in the stands, and began to make his way over to them. He noticed that Flint was laughing and Kari looked deep in thought about something. Flint jumped down into the field, walking over to his best friend.

"Yo, Volkner! I came to say bye to you before I left for Snowpoint City to put in some training."

Volkner nodded his head. "How long are you going to be gone for?"

"Not long, just for a few weeks at most. Listen," Flint turned around to see if Kari was watching them, only to find that she wasn't even paying attention. "While I'm gone, try and go easy on the Kari, yeah? Don't go all antisocial on her. And maybe talk to her a bit more than you already do. I can tell she has a feeling that you somehow don't like her, so try to let her know that you consider her a friend."

Volkner nodded his. _'She thinks that I don't like her?'_ "Well, guess I'll see you later then."

Flint grinned, walking towards the exit. "Yeah. Later, Dude!" And with that he was gone. Volkner turned back towards the bleachers, making his way over to Kari.

'_I don't know why she get's the idea that I don't like her. Did I come off that cold?' _He asked himself mentally as he sat down next to her. "Kari, do you wanna do something different today?"

She looked at him with a curious face. "Like what?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno…maybe go down to the lighthouse, sit on the beach…whatever you wanna do is fine with me."

"What brought this on, Volkner?" Kari asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well…I just think we should talk a little more about each other. I mean, we are friends now after all…Right?"

'_He…he called me his friend…I like the sound of that.' _"Right. Friends." Kari smiled happily as she spoke, laughing a bit as she did.

Volkner felt his breath hitch a little as he watched her. _'She really is cute…' _

"Ok, well…how about we go get ice-cream!" Kari exclaimed, standing up with a hopeful smile.

Volkner nodded, giving her a small smile before the two walked out of the gym.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Sir, we have the information that you requested on that girl." Mars stated, placing a manila colored file on Cyrus's desk.

Cyrus picked up the file, opening it up. "So, her name is Kari Jones? Hm…it says here that she is the Pokemon League champion of three known regions…Well, it also says here that she has stopped poachers from hurting Pokemon and capturing them many times, and she has even foiled Team Rockets plans at one point…" This girl was much more interesting to Cyrus now that he had information on her. He smirked. "Mars, see to it that we keep an eye on this one…there's no telling how she would foil our plans if she were to find out what we're doing."

"Yes sir!"

"And while you're at it, have several grunts go and look for a power source that we can use. Make sure it's a large enough one too…"

"Yes sir! Right away, sir!"

* * *

Volkner and I sat up in the tower, looking out the window while we ate our ice-cream. I had found it a bit strange that he had suddenly decided that we would just hang out all day instead of work, but hey, as long as it involved ice-cream, I was there! My view on Volkner actually began to change a little. He actually wasn't all that cold as I had thought if he was willing to sit here and eat ice-cream with me.

"What's your family like?" The question came from Volkner, which was actually a bit surprising. We never really talked about our personal lives, so it was a bit of a shock that he would be the one to speak up first about the subject.

"My family?" He nodded. "Well, my mom is one of those parents that's always making you do something that you really don't want to do, but I guess that's what makes her such a great mom. My dad…." I trailed off, thinking. My dad was a very busy man. You're probably wondering what he does, so I'll tell you: He's a Frontier Brain. Ha-ha, yeah, I know, sounds like it's the coolest thing ever, right?….Yeah, no. Especially when your father is the one and only Pyramid King Brandon. Yeah, I don't think I'll mention that part to Volkner. "My dad is pretty much busy a lot, and he's a very…Outgoing man! Enough about me, what about you?"

"Me? Well…My parents died when I was about 12." Volkner explained, his face falling a bit as he stared down at his lap.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" I asked quietly, hugging Eevee to me a bit.

"They went out for their anniversary dinner. I remember my mom had been so excited about it. The last thing my mom ever said was to make sure the door was locked and that I went to bed on time. And they didn't come back. Their car was knocked off a bridge when they got hit by a drunk driver. I never saw them again."

There was only silence after Volkner explained his parents death to me. In all honesty, I was doing my best to hold back my tears. To lose your parents at such a young age…is just so tragic. Without thinking I stood up and threw the remainder of my ice cream away and moved to stand behind Volkner. Quietly, I knelt down behind him and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

If I had known earlier, perhaps I would've thought of Volkner in a nicer way.

**

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****A/N: Wow, it's been REALLY long since I updated for this story. Sorry if the ending of this chapter was kind of lame, but I hope you enjoyed it! Later Taters!**


	8. Maybe you're not so bad after all

**A/N: Been a while, right? Sorry, I've been busy with other stories and stuff, and I just found the time to update this! Enjoy!**

* * *

The hug had been a large surprise to Volkner, not even thinking that Kari would go to such lengths as to give him a hug to show her sympathy towards him. Volkner relaxed into the hug, allowing Kari to comfort him, until she pulled away, a small smile on her face, causing Volkner to give her a smile of his own.

Perhaps Kari wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

"So, how'd you manage to teach your Vaporeon Hydro Cannon? I thought only certain water types could learn it, like Empoleon." Volkner stated, watching as his and Kari's Pokemon all played together on the beach, running around and chasing each other.

Kari's face grew thoughtful for a moment. "Hm…well, I guess it just happened from practice and lots of hard training. Actually, Vaporeon just….I dunno…picked it up on her own, I guess. When she actually used it for the first time, it wasn't as powerful as it is now. We just worked our way up until it was super strong." Kari explained. "I will admit though, the hard work was worth it for a powerful move like that. It's always managed to get us out of a sticky situation or two." She stated, laughing slightly as she added in that last part. "We probably would've beaten Flint, had it not been that his Magmortar is super strong, and its trainer is part of the Elite Four."

Volkner chuckled slightly at that statement, before asking the one question that he had been wanting to ask. "Would you battle me?"

Kari whipped her head around to stare at Volkner in surprise. "Huh?"

Volkner smirked at her confusion. "You heard me. I'm challenging you to a battle."

"Eh…well, I'm not one to turn away a challenge, but…"

"But what?"

She sent him a smirk. "But I'd hate to make you cry when we wipe the floor with you and your electrifying Pokemon."

"Guess that's a yes then."

0o0o0o0o

"_**Each Trainer is allowed to use 3 Pokemon each for this 3 on 3 battle. Whoever runs out of Pokemon to use first loses. Begin!"**_ The Robo-Ref exclaimed.

Volkner sent Kari a smirk as he threw out his first pokeball. "Go, Luxray!"

Luxray popped out from the Pokeball, taking front and center on the field. "Lux!"

Kari smiled, tapping each pokeball clipped onto her belt thoughtfully. "Luxray, huh? All right." She picked a pokeball and threw it. "Go, Ninetales!"

Ninetales popped out of her Pokeball. "Nine…"

Volkner went first. "Luxray use thunder fang!"

Kari mentally sighed. _'Predictable move.' _"Ninetales, dodge it and use flamethrower!"

"NINE!" Ninetales shot out a large flame coil at Luxray, only to have it doge the attack at Volkner's command.

Volkner smirked. "Don't think that you can take Luxray down that easily. Luxray, use iron tail!"

Luxray ran at Ninetales, its tail beginning to glow. "Luuuuxxx!"

"Ninetales, counter it with fire fang!"

'_Fire fang?' _Volkner asked mentally. Ninetales grabbed Luxray by the tail, biting down and burning Luxray, earning a pained cry from it as Ninetales threw it back. "Luxray, you alright?" Earning a nod from his Pokemon, Volkner ordered it to use double team.

Kari smirked. _'Got you now…' _"Fire Blast!"

"NINE!" Hitting Luxray and it's doubles dead on, Volkner gasped.

"Luxray!"

Once the flames were gone, Luxray was down, crisped slightly, but definitely down and out for the count. The Robo ref held up the green flag that was on Kari's side. _**"Volkner's Luxray is unable to battle. Kari and Ninetales are the winners of this round."**_

Volkner returned Luxray to its pokeball, smiling down at it as he held it in his hand. "You did your best, Luxray. Take a nice rest." He clipped the pokeball back onto his belt before looking over at Kari as she petted Ninetales. "You may have taken one of my Pokemon down, but don't think that the rest of our battle will be just as easy."

Kari returned Ninetales to her Pokeball. "Believe me, I'm not that naïve. I know better than to be overconfident. After all, you are the toughest gym leader in the Sinnoh region." She pulled out a different pokeball and began to throw it up and down in her hand. "Well, shall we continue?"

Volkner smirked and threw out another pokeball, an Electivire coming out. "Vire!"

"An Electivire, huh? Let's just see how long it can keep up with my next pick. Espeon, let's go!"

Espeon popped out of her Pokeball, landing gracefully on the field in front of Kari, getting into a stance. "Esp!"

Kari got to go first. "Espeon, use swift attack!"

"Espi-OOONNN!" Espeon shot out multiple stars at Electivire, the electric Pokemon blocking them with ease with its arms, the attack not fazing it one bit.

"Electivire, use ice punch!"

"Dodge it and use it psybeam!"

"Espi!"

"Dodge it!" Electivire did as it was told and leaped out of the way. "Fire punch!"

Kari's eyes widened as Electivire came at Espeon with incredible speed and sent her flying into the air. Espeon landed with a thud, standing back up weakly. "Espeon, you ok?"

"Esp…"

"All right then! Use iron tail!"

"Electivire, grab Espeon and use Ice punch!"

As Espeon neared, Electivire grabbed her by the tail and used Ice punch, freezing the psychic Pokemon and knocking it out. _**"Espeon is unable to battle. The win goes to Volkner and Electivire."**_

Kari returned Espeon, thanking her for her hard work. "You've trained your Electivire well. But…can it defeat my next pick?" Kari asked before throwing out another pokeball, Vaporeon popping out.

Volkner smirked. "Picking a water type to fight against an electric type is just asking for a loss."

"Some water types aren't always that badly affected by electric attacks. And Vaporeon just happens to be one of those Pokemon. Your Electivire doesn't stand a chance now."

Volkner frowned. "Don't get too overconfident. Electivire, thunder punch!"

"Vire!"

Kari shook her head and sighed. "I warned you…Vaporeon, jump up and use Hydro pump with all you've got."

Vaporeon followed her trainers instructions and leaped up into the air, aiming straight for Electivire and shooting a strong jet of water straight at it, hitting the electric type dead on. Once the water was gone, Electivire was on the ground, out cold.

"_**Electivire is unable to battle. The win goes to Kari and Vaporeon." **_

"Told you." Kari said, smirking as Volkner glared at her slightly as he recalled his fainted Pokemon. His next pick was his Jolteon, who was pumped up and ready for a battle.

"Despite my two losses, I have to admit that this is fun." Volkner said, a playful smirk on his face, causing Kari to smile.

"Don't go thinking that you've won just yet, Volkner. I'm not out of Pokemon yet."

"But you will be just as soon as Jolteon here shows you what he can do. Use thunderbolt!"

"Jolt!"

"Bubble beam!"

"Vay!"

Both attacks canceled each other out, none of the Pokemon taking damage. "Jolteon, use shadow ball!"

"Vaporeon, dodge it!"

Vaporeon jumped back and out of the way, managing to get away without a scratch.

"Shadow ball rapid fire!" Volkner ordered, and Jolteon began to shoot out multiple shadow balls.

"Vaporeon, use surf!"

A giant tidal wave appeared, Vaporeon riding on the top of it. The wave crashed into Jolteon, Vaporeon jumping away and back to stand in front of Kari. Jolteon stood back up, albeit weakly, still ready to for Volkner's next command.

"Shadow ball once more!"

'_This is!' _"Dodge it, and use Hydro Cannon!"

"VAY!"

Jolteon was hit straight on and knocked back into the wall. "Jolteon!"

Once the dust cleared, Jolteon was down and out. _**"Jolteon is unable to battle. The win goes to Vaporeon and Kari. And the winner is Kari."**_

"Nicely done, Vaporeon!" Kari exclaimed, returning said Pokemon to the pokeball before making her way over to Volkner and Jolteon. "Well, it looks like I won."

He returned Jolteon and smiled slightly. "I underestimated you. You have an amazing spark that just doesn't seem to go out that easily."

Kari's cheeks became dusted with pink as she smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess you could say that!"

Volkner nodded and dug into his pockets before pulling something back out and holding it out for Kari. "You deserve this."

Kari frowned when she saw the Beacon Badge in his hand. "But…I didn't do it for the badge, I just did it for fun."

He still handed it to her anyway. "Think of it as a prize and a reminder for your victory against me."

She had to smile at that, taking the badge and holding it in her palm. "Thanks, Volkner."

'_Maybe…you're not so bad after all….'_

**

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**A/N: This was actually really bad, but I'm too lazy to try and rewrite it. Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway! LATER TATERS!**


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